Hi, everyone. Anthony Fantano here, the internet's busiest music nerd. I hope you're doing well.

Let's talk about one of the most interesting chart phenomenons that has happened this year. That would be this new Shaboozey single, a bar song, "Tipsy". Now, if you're not already familiar with singer, songwriter, rapper Shaboozey, you should be. Not just because this new track of his has spent multiple, multiple weeks at number one right now, but also because he had a very nice placement on that new Beyoncé album, "Cowboy Carter". Also, he's currently one of these artists who is seeing such a big cultural boost at the moment due to the fact that both country and hip hop are battling right now for what is going to be the next cultural zeitgeist for the next 10 years. It does slowly look like country is going to be taking over, but regardless of what direction that goes in, Shaboozey is going to benefit either way.

Now, the guy has three albums under his belt at this point, including his latest, which just dropped this year. He's clearly a talent with a look, an image, a style, and also a very solid voice, too. But I wanted to talk for a quick second about why exactly I think this song has been standing so firmly at number one for so long with no sign of it dropping off the charts anytime soon. I mean, this track's place on the charts is so solid. It essentially even blocked the Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars cut from hitting number one.

I mean, this song is still holding strong, even with numerous tracks from the Post Malone album which just dropped and commercially has been very successful, nipping at its heels. So far, this track has been on the charts for 19 whole weeks, and seven of those weeks have been at the number one spot, which is why I have essentially listed five reasons why I think this track is doing as well commercially as it is.

Now, most or maybe all of these reasons might be a pretty obvious read, but I still think they all culminate into a winning recipe for a number one song in the current pop music paradigm. The first reason being that country music is huge at the moment, and historically speaking, on the pop charts, Americans love a country crossover, essentially a country song that can appeal so widely. It's even hitting with non-country fans, which I know historically to be true because I came up during the '90s when you had your "Achy Breaky Heart", "Friends in Low Places", your Garth Brooks, your Billy Ray Cyrus, so on and so forth. No matter what walk life you come from. Americans typically can all convene around a hootin', hollerin', catchy, energetic country song, and this track most certainly is that.

The number two reason why I think this track is doing as well as it is at number one is if there's another thing Americans love, it's a goddamn drinking song. Maybe if you're especially a younger listener, that might seem a little alien to you on the pop charts these days. Because as streaming has become the primary mode through which people experience music, a lot of the stories, narratives, and vibes that are conveyed through popular music tend to be a lot more low-key and individualized. Whereas pop music that's centered around a party atmosphere, the club, its presence in the mainstream, is not as great of a place as it was in the 2000s, where DJs and whether or not a particular track would go over well in the club were a key gateway indicator in terms of whether or not a track did well on the radio and on the charts.

Did people want to hear this song when they were out having a good time with their friends? It feels like right now in what many perceive to be a post-COVID era where everyone can go out again and have a good time and start socializing more. And yes, of course, drinking. We need exactly a song, exactly an anthem for just that occasion. Shaboozey's track here fills that void perfectly and also reminds listeners of an era when music with that vibe and that style was more prominent, prevalent, and popular, given that the track interpolates one of the most classic club rap bangers of all time, J. Quan's "Tipsy".

Which brings me to my third reason that this track is doing so well. Given its genre crossover that it's bringing to the table, it has a little something for everybody. While Shaboozey has recorded his fair share of just straight up country songs, he also has quite a few son gs that blend elements of hip hop and country, and it has enough of each mixed into it to where I feel like listeners or fans of each genre can get into what he's presenting here. Because you do have what are essentially two of the most American institutions in all of popular music melding together for a pretty catchy song that is all about carefree vibes, fun, getting wasted, and not thinking too much about anything all that heavy with a very repeatable one, two, three, four chorus.

The fourth reason that I think this track is doing so well, I think has to do with a previous very successful single on the Billboard Hot 100. In fact, the longest running number one single of all time. That would be Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road", which I'm surprised isn't being brought up more in the context of this track. Not that I think they're exactly the same esthetically as Shaboozey's track. Vibes-wise, it's just a wee bit more country. And not that I'm implying that Lil Nas X and Shaboozey are similar types of artists, as "Montero" was pretty quick to dive much further into pop and rock music and hip hop, too, since having released more singles and even a full-length project. Shaboozey is currently just fast track running down a path that was previously just cut out for him to do so with that other very long running rap country crossover. Even if they are very different songs from different artists, the ways in which they are the same are what makes them so commercially viable.

Then we have the number five reason that I think this track is doing well, and that's because of its attitude, because of how outlandish the interpolation is and the country rap combination is. There is an element of novelty fun to it. It's a seriously enjoyable song, but simultaneously, you don't need to take it too seriously as it doesn't really seem like it's taking itself all that seriously either. Because, again, really, as a rap/country crossover that invokes J. Quan's tipsy, it just seems like we're playing musical Madlibs in a way. The concept from the outset is just absolutely ridiculous, but the end result just happened to be complete fire commercially.

But there you go. In my view, those are the top five reasons why I think this Shibuzi track is doing so well on the charts right now and has no signs of dropping off of the Hot 100 anytime soon. Let me know your thoughts on this track. Did you love it? Did you hate it? Does it deserve that number one spot, and will it stay at that peak for much longer?

Anthony Fantano, Shaboozey, "A Bar Song", Forever.

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